Eternal bond
by Hancock23
Summary: Harry is betrayed by those he trusted the most and secrets are revealed that draw him closer to Draco Malfoy than he ever thought possible. Together they will turn everything on its head and love isn't as easy as just falling in.
1. Chapter 1

**Eternal Bond**

Disclaimer: If I owned them, Draco and Harry would have been doing this and that from book one.

Summary: Harry is betrayed by those he trusted the most and secrets are revealed that draw him closer to Draco Malfoy than he ever thought possible. Together they will turn everything on its head and love isn't as easy as just falling in.

Pairings: HP/DM, RW/HG, LM/SS, other pairings maybe.

Warning: Major character bashing and this is definitely a slash fiction.

Author's Note: There is not much to say at this point except that this is going to be a long story and HP/GW should not worry you-I hate the pairing but it is necessary for this story, trust me and read on. Another thing, the story keeps to canon up to OOTP but the timing of events and the story changes for HPB and DH. Chapter two will be up on Friday. I would love to hear what you think about the story so far and anticipate some boys love later, it will be rated M for a reason;)

Chapter One-Enemies

Harry Potter did not know where to look when he entered the great hall that morning. He had debated going to the kitchens for breakfast but that would only delay the inevitable, it's not like he could hide all day, every day. In fact, he did not want to hide, he was more afraid that he might murder someone in the current mood he was in.

Everything he had known yesterday had changed overnight and now he looked at his best friends and girlfriend who were seated at the Gryffindor table waiting for him with a deep suspicion that would not leave him. He wanted to tell himself that everything had been a dream but no dream could ever feel so real. He knew with a sickening feeling that the dream had been true, they had betrayed him in a way that he was not sure he could ever forgive. As he walked, he looked around the hall and noticed that Malfoy was not in his seat at the Slytherin table but that was no surprise since Harry knew the blonde was in the infirmary. Harry had put him there, sectumsempra was a curse he never intended to use again.

As he walked and sat down, Harry did not look at the high table once, he was afraid that he would not be able to control himself if he did. He had lost it the previous year once he found out Dumbledore had hid the truth about the prophecy from him but this betrayal felt deeper, more personal. No, he didn't think he could deal with the headmaster at the moment without doing something that he might regret later.

Harry straightened his spine and sat in the space his friends had reserved for him. He smiled and made all the right responses throughout breakfast, it would not do for them to realise that something was wrong before he had the chance to come up with a plan. He shuddered to think what measures they would resort to if what he now remembered was anything to go by. Harry held tightly to his rage as the dream came back to him in vivid clarity, the choices they had taken from him, the time he had lost because of their actions and most of all, the memories they had stolen from him, he did not see a way he could forgive them especially for the last one.

The day seemed longer than any other Harry could remember living. He talked and acted normal while all the time he watched people and tried to determine whether they were friends or enemies. He felt wary, afraid of this world he had fallen into where he did not know who he could trust.

That night, he went to bed early and spelled his curtains closed in addition to the usual silencing spells. Once he was done, he grabbed his invisibility cloak and the marauders map, and quietly sneaked out of the dorms, waiting until someone opened the portrait of the fat lady before he could clamber out unnoticed.

The marauders map showed that Malfoy was still in the hospital wing and avoiding Peeves and Finch along the way, he managed to get to the hospital wing on the fourth floor without being noticed. The dot indicating Madam Pomfrey showed that she was in her office adjacent to the infirmary, and Harry quietly opened the door to the hospital and slid in silently. Malfoy was the only occupant in the room and he lay in a condoned off bed at the far end of the room.

The boy who lived tried to still his heart as he walked to where the Slytherin was. He was afraid, more afraid than he had ever been, even Voldemort had never inspired the kind of fear he was feeling as he walked to the bed. He felt as if he was walking to a fight naked and he truly was, because he was not the one laying on a hospital bed. Well, Malfoy had tried to use an unforgivable on him but Harry had succeeded in almost killing him so he was the loser in this situation. He stood outside the curtains, trying to gather his nerve and go in.

'I can smell you.' A voice said from within the curtains and Harry was sure he blushed scarlet under the cloak. He had had a shower when he went up to his dorm earlier. At least he knew that what the blonde smelled was his soap rather than sweat from his long day and quidditch practice. Sighing, he removed his cloak and tucked it into his robe pocket before opening the curtains and stepping in.

'Potter.' Malfoy said. He did not seem surprised to see him and Harry wondered at that.

'How are you feeling?' Harry asked.

'How do you think?' If there had been enough light in the room, Harry was sure he would see the usual sneer on Malfoy's face. 'Come to finish what you started?'

There was a bitterness in Malfoy's voice that Harry couldn't place.

'No.' Harry said deciding to be diplomatic although he was barely holding himself from noting that Malfoy had started it. There was no time for such arguments, at least not tonight. 'I honestly want to know how you are doing.'

'Be happy that professor Snape managed to close the wounds before I bled to death.' Suddenly, Malfoy shook his head as if he had said something stupid and it had just occurred to him. 'It would probably not have made any difference if I had bled to death would it? It's not like the ministry or even Dumbledore would sentence the boy who lived to Azkaban.' Bitterness again. Maybe it was because he had been critically injured but Malfoy was expressing more emotion than he ever had before. Harry wanted to say that it would make a difference to him, that it mattered to him. It had mattered to him even before he had the dream, but he didn't want to think about that now. He didn't want to think about what all this meant for the two of them.

'I had a dream last night.' Harry started.

'…..and you assume I am interested in your dreams because? If you want someone to interpret your dreams, go to Trelawney or ask the mudblood to research in the library and leave me alone.' Harry felt his usual ire rise at the way Malfoy referred to Hermione. It was laughable really, that he could still feel this angry for her despite what she had done. But then again, his mother had also been muggleborn, it was a given he should be angry. He closed his eyes momentarily and bit his tongue. He knew what Malfoy was doing, he was distracting from the topic. Harry had heard the slight tremor in his voice when he talked about the dream and he felt sure that the Slytherin knew more than he was letting on.

'You see, this dream needs no interpreting, it was pretty straightforward.'

'I have no interest in what you dream in your sick head Potter. Leave before I hex you.' _He knows something._ Harry thought.

'You and I…..'

'Are nothing.' Malfoy finished and sat up in his bed, his stance mirroring his voice. He dared Harry to go on and Harry didn't like the idea of having to hex an injured person for the second time in as many days, so he let that line of questioning go.

'I take it you had the same dream Malfoy?'

'Don't speak nonsense, you are the one with a piece of the dark lord in you, there is no way we could have the same dreams.' Harry froze in place and looked at the other boy in shock. He did not understand what had been said. What was that about a piece of the dark lord? He had never heard anything about that.

'What…., what did you say?'

'Are you as deaf as you are dumb?' Malfoy sneered and Harry forgot his decision not to fight with an injured person. He grabbed Malfoy by the neck of his hospital pyjamas.

'What the hell do you mean?' He asked in a shout, belatedly remembering Madam Pomfrey was in the next room. The two boys heard hurried footsteps, clearly headed to where they were and Harry quickly donned his invisibility cloak, completely ignoring the shocked expression on his rivals face when he saw cloak.

'This is not over Malfoy.' Harry said and hurried away before the medi-witch got there. As he left the wing, he could hear her fussing over Malfoy, obviously thinking he had had a nasty nightmare about his accident as she called it.

Harry smiled as he stepped out of the room, he was glad that Malfoy was doing well enough to fight with him.

To be continued….

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	2. Chapter 2

Eternal bond

Author's Note: I put in some paragraph breaks in chapter one but the site removed them. This time I will try 'vvvvvvvv' as paragraph breaks because this chapter needs them a lot, I hope it works. Thank you to everyone who read, followed and favourited after chapter one, I smiled every time I saw a new addition. No reviews yet but I am hoping for some after this chapter. Please enjoy, review and anticipate the next chapter on Tuesday.

has not been allowing me to post the chapter and it seems I am not the only author with the problem. Sorry for being late.

Chapter Two-Pieces

Draco Malfoy stayed awake for a long time after Potter left, his thoughts were all over the place which was very unusual for him. He had also had a dream the night before, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to find out if it was the same as Potter had.

Potter was a handsome fellow and Draco had always liked pretty things, so it was not surprising that he had always been overwhelmingly attracted to Potter but that dream had shown him a reality that he was not sure he was ready to accept. It hadn't been a dream per se, it was a flood and replacement of memories and although he would have liked to think that someone was planting false memories in his brain, these new memories made more sense than the ones he previously had. It's not like he had had outrageous memories, it's just that sometimes there were moments that did not fluidly connect with each other and that always left him confused.

Grudgingly, he accepted that he would need to speak to Potter sooner or later about everything but he wasn't ready for that yet. He needed to decide on a course of action for whatever scenario that played out. One thing he knew though, was that he had played nice and things had turned out as they had. What had happened was unacceptable and Malfoy's did not allow actions against them to go unpunished, and this time would be no different.

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Harry had kept away from Malfoy since that night but he was growing impatient. He wanted to know what Malfoy had meant when he said that Harry had a part of the dark lord in him, especially now that the headmaster had sent him a message saying that he was to go to his office that evening to continue with his private lessons.

Anxiously, he looked across the hall and saw that Malfoy was back from the hospital wing and the Slytherin was looking straight at him with a determined look in his eyes. He nodded his head slightly and stood up to leave the hall. Harry waited a few minutes and followed. He saw Malfoy disappearing around a corner and followed him at a distance, cautious not to let anyone discover where he was going. He was thankful though that his friends already thought that he was stalking Malfoy to determine what he was hiding but that cover would not hold every time.

Harry saw Malfoy enter mourning Myrtle's bathroom and putting up an act for anyone who might be watching, he pretended to listen at the door before he quietly slid the door open and slid inside.

Malfoy was standing at the far end, looking as arrogant as ever.

'You are not as stupid as you look it seems.' The blonde said and Harry rolled his eyes wanting to avoid an argument.

Harry froze in concentration when he saw Malfoy wave his wand but the Slytherin rolled his eyes and cast a muffliato spell which further shocked Harry because he knew that was an original spell written in the half-blood's book that he had just thrown away a few days ago. There was no way that Malfoy had found the book and studied it already when he had been confined in the hospital wing.

'How do you know that spell?' Harry asked suspiciously.

'What's it to you?' Malfoy sounded aggressive.

'Never mind.' Harry thought that knowing the origins of the spell was one of the less important things he needed to know at this point. 'Why are we here?'

'I thought we should talk.' Malfoy said and Harry couldn't agree more. 'Classes are starting soon but I thought we could talk tonight.'

Harry wanted to know immediately but it would not do to rush things when there was so much that needed to be said. He had a meeting with Dumbledore that night however, and he would have to figure something out if he was to keep both appointments without arousing any suspicions in the headmaster. He had to act as normal as possible.

'I have a meeting with the headmaster at seven but I can meet you after.' Harry said and the blond nodded. 'The room of requirement?' Harry knew that Malfoy already knew about how the room worked.

'No, we can't go there. There are too many portraits on the seventh floor corridor who report to Dumbledore and I don't plan to catch his attention yet. This bathroom is not used and the corridor only has landscape portraits so we can meet here.'

Harry had a better idea. The bathroom was connected to the chamber of secrets and since he was the only parselmouth around, they could speak privately in there without any worry.

'Be in the library at 9, I will use my invisibility cloak and tap you on the shoulder when I get there. It's not good to be seen together so I will remain invisible until we get to the bathroom.' Harry suggested and Malfoy agreed again. The chamber of secrets would be a secret for later. He bet Malfoy would love to go in there and at least there, not even Myrtle could eavesdrop on them. Malfoy left first after cancelling the muffliato and Harry followed a few minutes later, still keeping the pretence of spying on the Slytherin.

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Molly Weasley always read fairy tales to her daughter as she grew up, so Ginevra Weasley had grown up hearing about Harry Potter and magical creatures. At some point, she had begun to believe that the boy who lived was a magical creature and she was destined to be his mate. She had loved him even more when she met him and ever more convinced about their destiny when he saved her from Voldemort in her first year at Hogwarts.

Ginny had not minded that he had not shown much romantic interest in her at first, after all, he was to be a hero and he needed to take care of things before they could be together. She just knew that when he came of age, he would be hers so she wasn't worried. However, her plans had been hastened last year when she received alarming news about Harry. Her poor Harry had been put under a spell and Hermione had said that the only way to break its hold on him was for Ginny to direct his attention to only herself. She had not liked it, but she had given Harry the amortentia potion that Hermione had prepared.

Harry was now hers and she would not forgive Malfoy who had put Harry under a spell in the first place. She would definitely show him what it meant when someone dared to take things from. Harry was the only thing that was hers, something that had not been handed down to her like the rest of her things, and she intended to keep it that way. Ginny thought she deserved the best, and Harry was the best so she smiled to herself and thought about what she would wear to Hogsmead the following weekend.

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Hermione loved studying but she had found out that there were things that were not written in any books. Old wizarding stories were taken as a given and never recorded, and some of the stories were only passed to family members but Ron had told her all about them.

At first, she had thought that Ron was overreacting when they found out about Harry but she had come to see the justification of his actions. The Malfoy family was one of the oldest wizarding families with deep roots in England and France, but their history was enough to make shivers run down her spine. There had even been talk of members of the Malfoy family mating with magical creatures in an attempt to increase their magical powers-off course ,everyone knows that magical creatures have wild magic which makes them purer than human beings. She could not stand that Harry, who she loves like a true brother was getting involved with such a family and although they could find no trace of a curse or potion that could make him act the way he had, she still thought that Malfoy had used some sort of dark magic they did not know about. If only she could find more books to research in….

Her thought process was interrupted by Ron who took the seat beside her in the common room, Harry had already gone to meet the headmaster.

'Have you noticed anything?' Hermione asked. She was often worried, Harry needed them more than he thought and he had no idea.

'No, he is acting the same.' Ron said neglecting to mention the spelled shut curtains a few nights ago. Nothing like that had happened again so he was sure there was nothing to worry about.

Harry was like a brother, like Fred and George and all the others so he would do all he could to keep him safe and if sometimes he had to do things that could be considered cruel, he had to save Harry from himself. Harry was his own worst enemy is how Ron saw it.

He smiled, content that everything was back to normal. Things were finally working out with Hermione, and Harry was no longer having those visions from Voldemort. All was well.

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Albus Dumbledore was weary. The exhaustion was not just from physical activities of which he had many since he was reinstated to the Wizengamot among other duties, but he was tired of carrying the weight of the wizarding world on his shoulders. When he defeated Grindewald, he had thought things would get easier but they hadn't and now he was forced to use a young boy for the greater good.

Harry was powerful. Powerful than even he knew but Dumbledore was afraid of that power. It was needed to defeat Voldemort but what about after? What of the thing that was poisoning Harry's mind and heart? They were racing against time so Dumbledore had decided to equip Harry with what he needed to defeat Voldemort but afterwards…..

Dumbledore's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door. Harry was here and the headmaster allowed sorrow to stain his eyes for a second before he bid him to come in. The twinkle was back in his blue eyes by the time Harry took his seat across from him.

To be continued…

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	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three**

A/N: Once again, thanks for reading, favouriting and following. Special thanks to my reviewers Jokul Frosti, Melting Love and I.C.2014. It makes me want to write even better when I read your words. Enjoy this chapter and see you on Friday for chapter four.

Chapter Three-Hold It!

In the end, Harry did not need to make up an excuse to escape from the headmaster. Dumbledore had shown him memories of Tom Riddle once again and at quarter to nine, the trip down memory lane ended and Harry headed to the library as promised. He was not surprised to find Malfoy already there. Over the months he had been following Malfoy trying to figure out if he was a death eater or not, Harry had discovered that his rival spent a considerable amount of time in the library. He had been further shocked to find out that Malfoy's grades were only second to Hermione's but then again, Hermione was some sort of knowledge niffler that could not be compared to normal people. Surprisingly, Hermione had not bested Malfoy in potions, ancient runes, astronomy and arithmancy once since they entered Hogwarts.

From just behind Malfoy, Harry watched him for a moment, noting the little frown of concentration that creased the blonde's brow. He would have liked to watch him for a while longer but he knew that Malfoy was the kind that was never tardy and thus never allowed tardiness in others so as the hour hand struck nine, he tapped the other's shoulder and without giving away that something was happening, Malfoy continued reading for another minute before he calmly closed his books and arranged them in his bag neatly. Seemingly without a concern in the world, he went to Madam Pince's desk and checked out a book while Harry impatiently followed, wishing the other would quickly head to their meeting place.

After ten minutes of leisurely walk, they arrived at Myrtle's bathroom and Harry could not hold in his exasperation any longer.

'Could you have walked any slower?' Harry burst out without checking to see whether Myrtle was in her bathroom or waiting for muffliato to be cast.

'Off course not Potter, it is very common to drag one's feet.' Malfoy said haughtily.

'…..and I suppose Malfoys' don't run either?' Harry sulked.

'You learn quickly Potter.' Malfoy said and if Harry wasn't busy sulking, he would have noticed the barely there smile that whispered on the other's lips.

'Let's go.' Malfoy looked at Harry in question and he couldn't help but feel slightly vindicated. 'This place isn't very secure.'

'Where else then?'

Harry did not answer, he just moved to the sink where a small curved serpent was hidden and hissed the password. For a minute, silence filled the chamber as memories of another time, at another place filled their heads. The memory was accompanied by a nostalgia that tasted achingly like loss and neither felt able to say a word until the feeling had passed.

'What the hell?' Malfoy was the first to recover when he noticed the gaping hole where the sink had been. This time, Harry smiled, for some reason he always liked having one on Malfoy.

'Go in quickly.' Harry said and tried to shove Malfoy through but the Slytherin only looked at him as if he was bonkers to think that he would go in ahead of him. Harry sighed in resignation, off course it wouldn't be easy to get Malfoy to do something as easy as step into a dark space even when Harry meant him no evil.

'I am not crazy Potter, there is no way I am going in there without knowing exactly where I am going.' Draco argued mulishly. For a moment, Harry considered stopping to explain, but the thought of what could happen if Myrtle found them and so he made a decision he was sure he would regret later. Faster than Malfoy could react, Harry pushed him through the opening and he heard foul incentives thrown at him as the other boy fell through the hole and probably landed on a pile of stones and skeletons. Belatedly, Harry remembered the mess left after the Lockhart incident and winced as he imagined falling on stones without the protection of a cushioning charm. Groaning in anticipated misery, Harry closed the opening behind him as he also fell down. For a minute, he strongly debated letting himself fall and then pretending he had no idea there were stones down there to appease Malfoy's wrath, but then he remembered the pain of regrowing bones and immediately gave up that idea. Unless Malfoy used the cruciatus, Harry thought he would get off easier with Malfoy than madam Pomfrey.

Malfoy had cast a lumos so Harry located him the moment he landed and he could feel the other boy's anger saturate the air like some sort of sentient gas.

'What the hell Potter?' Malfoy said angrily. 'I could have died.'

'Sorry, I forgot there was rabble down here.'

'Forgot? You obviously did that intentionally, what are you planning Potter?'

 _Hold it._ Harry told himself. He didn't need to say everything that came to mind and he was really in the wrong this time but why couldn't Malfoy just accept his apology? Why couldn't he trust him just this once? Harry wondered and even though he was trying to keep himself calm, he was achieving the opposite result. He remembered what had led to the sectumsempra, it was not hate that had driven him to cast a spell at Malfoy, it was the fact that Malfoy had been crying alone. In a moment of helplessness, he had thought that anger was better than the despondency written on that face and he had not hesitated to retaliate when Malfoy tried to curse him. Shaking himself from his thoughts, he looked around and then started walking towards the tunnel that opened up into the chamber of secrets.

'I am not taking a single step until you tell me exactly where in Hogwarts we are.' Malfoy was stubborn, Harry had to give him that and he supposed it was understandable that one would be cautious about following his enemy like this.

'Welcome Malfoy, you have finally been invited to the Chamber of Secrets.' Harry said mockingly and immediately tried to take back his words, but they were already out. He didn't understand why they kept antagonizing each other, it was absurd really. To his credit, Malfoy blanked his face out. His eyes turned a hard cold grey as he stood up and looked at Harry like he was some loathsome creature he found under his shoes. Harry hadn't meant to sound the way he had but he didn't know how to explain himself now.

'Lead the way Potter.'

Draco told himself to hold it. It was no use arguing with Potter, they just needed to speak to each other for a limited time and that would be the end of their association.

'Look Malfoy…..' Harry started but was interrupted.

'We just need to hold everything for an hour and talk, once that is done, we can curse each other all the way to next week.'

Harry had no idea what to say to that so he led the way quietly until they arrived in the large chamber which always seemed to be well lit.

Harry had never taken the time to really look around the chamber and maybe it was because he was accompanied by a Slytherin but this time he did. He noticed that the pillars holding the arched ceiling up were heavily curved with serpents which twined on the length of them and aside from that, there was a huge sculpture of a wizard he thought was Salazar Slytherin seated on a chair with a large snake curled at his feet. The snake looked remarkably like the basilisk he had killed and Harry shuddered at the memory. Without speaking a word, both boys conjured chairs opposite each other. Harry opting for a cushony arm chair while Draco chose a high backed chair that kept his back straight. Everything seemed so formal all of a sudden and Harry was suddenly lost for words so he waited for Malfoy to begin.

'You also had a dream, what was it about?' Malfoy started and Harry sighed, he would have preferred for Malfoy to reveal his first.

'Well, we were lovers.' Harry blurted out and flushed scarlet. He was accosted by images of the two of them touching, kissing and having sex, and he averted his eyes and face. Malfoy rolled his eyes at this but even he turned a light shade of pink when he remembered everything. They certainly hadn't been shy back then, but then again, they hadn't been forced to talk about it while facing each other like this.

'I remembered that too. It seems we developed some sort of friendship in our first year and things got sexual at the end of fourth year.' Malfoy said casually and Harry nodded. It had been so hard for him to even acknowledge that they had been lovers and yet Malfoy talked about it as if was a trip to Diagon Alley, and maybe it was for him. It's not like Malfoy was a virgin if rumour was to be believed. Harry felt some sort of bitterness when he thought about the gossip he had heard about Malfoy, maybe it was a residual feeling from back then but Harry did not like the thought of Malfoy with someone else. 'It seems Dumbledore and your friends discovered us after the death of your godfather last year.' Harry felt a pang of sadness at the mention of Sirius and though he didn't show it, Malfoy had an almost overwhelming need to comfort him.

'Yea.' Harry said. He also remembered that he had sort Malfoy out after his tirade in the headmaster's office and dragged him into an empty classroom. As if trying to purge the hurt from himself, he had shagged the other boy on a dusty desk in the middle of the room and Malfoy had held him, completely understanding that Harry needed a release for the emotions that had been overwhelming him. It was too late by the time they realized that they had not closed the door or even employed any silencing charms.

Dumbledore, concerned about the state of Harry's mind had asked the portraits to keep track of him and when he heard that the golden boy had entered a room with the Malfoy heir, he had been worried. He was afraid Harry would do something regrettable if he let his emotions run away with him and so he had sent for Granger and Weasley who he hoped would be able to calm Harry down. The three of them had not expected what they found to say the least. Harry and Malfoy lay on the dust caked floor, Malfoy holding Harry as if he was something precious and Harry silently crying in the other boy's arms. It was evident to all present what had happened before their arrival and feeling a sense of dread come over him, Dumbledore had made a decision. It was too risky to let a relationship or whatever had happened between the two continue considering one was the son of Voldmort's greatest supporter and the other was to be the saviour of the wizarding world. They simply couldn't be allowed to be and after what had happened in his office earlier, the headmaster doubted Harry would listen to reason. Faster than any man his age should be able to move, he stupefied the two where they lay. In their unconscious state, none of the boys could see what happened next but Harry woke up in the infirmary hours later while Malfoy woke up in the dungeons, both completely ignorant of any past relationship aside from enmity with the other. Madam Pomfrey had told Harry that he had been given a calming draught after destroying the headmaster's office and Draco's memories told him that he had decided to take a quick nap after a tiresome day playing quidditch with some Slytherins. Both now knew that the headmaster had obliviated them, a task in itself since he would have had to replace years' worth of memories but if anyone was powerful enough to do that, it was Dumbledore.

Harry felt angry every time he thought about what had happened. At first, he had thought that Dumbledore had also obliviated his friends but instances that had seemed like worry right after he lost Sirius started to take on new meaning. Ron and Hermione had not left him alone even when he wanted to be alone, and he remembered the cryptic looks that they usually sent to each other and ones Harry had never been able to decode. He had thought them to be some sort of code between lovers but now, he could differentiate between that and those. They knew everything and had gone along with it. He could understand that they had been shocked by what they had found out but they should have let him explain. They should have argued with him about his choices but instead, they had out rightly decided that his capacity to make decisions was flawed and decided to fix him. Maybe they were right considering the ill-advised affair he was having with Malfoy, but it was his mistake to make and fix if the need arose. He could not thank them for what they had done. Harry did not know why the memories had come back to him on the night after the bathroom incident; probably the shock of almost killing Malfoy had forced his mind to remember but he was glad the memories had returned even if they made his life more complicated.

Malfoy looked at Potter without saying anything. He didn't know whether Potter had connected it yet, but Draco had realised something that made him uncomfortable. It was possible for their memories to be tampered with, but there is no spell or potion that could fundamentally change someone's emotions. Emotions could be masked but not destroyed and Draco thought that maybe the shock of what had happened in the bathroom, had forced their magic to unlock parts of themselves that had been hidden from them. Call it self-preservation but that was the most likely explanation and if they were able to recover their memories, would they also start feeling as they had before Dumbledore interfered? Their subconscious and magic must have acted to prevent them from fatally injuring each other without realising what they were to each other. Draco however, did not feel differently about Potter. He was still overwhelmingly attracted to him, but he also felt distanced from the part of himself that loved Potter. He had seen the memories and more than the recovered words, his actions showed him that he had loved Potter beyond anything. He was not sure whether he wanted to recover that, especially after the summer they had both had.

Harry also felt removed from the feelings he had seen in his memories. He felt that the part of him that loved Malfoy so passionately was someone else, another version of him. At this point, he had no idea that he had been fed a love potion.

'You said something about me and Voldemort?' Harry asked and noted with appreciation that Malfoy did not flinch at the name. His old curiosity came back and he suddenly felt the need to know whether Malfoy was a death or not but he also knew that his curiosity would not be entertained. Not by this Malfoy at question however was a way to get away from the subject of them being lovers because the idea was still too foreign to really dwell on. Something else about the topic of lovers bothered Harry but he couldn't think about that now, no, he didn't want to think about that or he might be forced to really come to terms with the extent of his friends' manipulation. Malfoy looked at Potter and noticed the pleading look in his eyes. He wanted to tell him the truth but something was holding him back.

'What do I get in return?' Malfoy asked, trying to buy the time he needed to sort his head out.

'Do you always have to get something for everything you give?'

Malfoy sneered in contempt. 'That is how fair trade works Potter, and I am a Slytherin.' He answered simply.

Harry sighed, he didn't know what he had that Malfoy could possibly want and he was afraid to even ask, but he had to know.

'What do you want Malfoy?'

Draco wasn't quite sure what he wanted from Potter but he knew what he wanted from himself. What he needed was to grow stronger, strong enough to take back what he was in danger of losing.

'I need a duelling and practicing partner.' Malfoy said and Harry looked at him incredulously. He wasn't sure how long they could be in each other's company without killing each other, but he quickly realised the benefits of such an arrangement. Malfoy was powerful, as powerful as Harry himself was, and they could duel each other on equal ground. Malfoy could help him grow stronger, and Harry needed that if he was going to win the war that was growing nearer every day.

'All right.' He agreed. 'Now tell me the truth.'

'I assume you can now manage to put up strong occlumency barriers?' Harry nodded and Malfoy started to speak.

To be continued….

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	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Author's Note: Thank you everyone for the encouraging response and I hope you will continue enjoying the story. Special thanks to MeltingLove and Emthereble for reviewing. All of your support is invaluable.

So sorry for the long wait. I have several chapters lined up but I had not edited and then a lot of things happened at once and I could not find a moment to edit. I will edit the next chapter ahead of time. Please review and see you for chapter five on Friday. I promise that the next chapter will be longer.

Chapter Four-Help

Harry was glad that the first class was history of magic with professor Binns because he could not concentrate even when he tried. The conversation he had had with Malfoy the previous night kept replaying in his head and every time, he could not help the revulsion that overtook him. He had known that Voldemort transferred some of his powers to him when he had tried to kill him as a baby, but he had never realised that power was not all that he transferred. Off course Dumbledore had told Harry about horcruxes, but he had not pegged himself to be one, and he hated Dumbledore even more for keeping this particular secret. He didn't know how to feel about himself now and sighing, he let himself sink in remembrance.

'How do you know about horcruxes?' He had asked Malfoy the moment the other boy had broached the subject. Dumbledore had said that only very dark wizards could know about them, and when Harry and his friends had tried to research the subject in the library, they had only found a single entry that did not even provide much information.

'Father told me.' Harry wanted to snort. It was obvious that Lucius Malfoy would know such dark forbidden arts but the look on Malfoy's face told him that the dig would not be taken kindly, and Harry was in no mood to start a fight especially when they had managed to remain civil for so long. 'He said that the dark lord had been creating them before his death, and when he heard that you are a parsel mouth, and all those visions you had last year, he started thinking that Voldemort had unintentionally transferred part of his soul to you when he tried to kill you.'

Harry felt angry. There is no way that Dumbledore had not come up with the same hypothesis and like always, he had hidden that information from him. He was also angry because he knew that the only person who could have told Lucius Malfoy about the visions was professor Snape. The old doubt that he had always harboured for the potion's master reared its head again, and Malfoy who seemed to sense that in him smirked before he told Harry that his father had no intention of informing the dark lord about what he knew. Harry did not believe Malfoy for a second, he knew better than that. He didn't doubt that Lucius Malfoy would trade that information if he found it beneficial for his course, but Harry really didn't know what to do. He could go to Dumbledore and tell him that Snape was giving information to death eaters, but then Dumbledore would want to know how Harry had found out and that was a conversation he was not ready to have yet. It was too unbelievable to say that Malfoy had slipped during an argument; Malfoy was not a fool and they all knew it, so that story would not fly.

For a while, the two boys did not speak as they sunk in their own thoughts. Both were grateful for the tentative truce that allowed the few moments of peace that each needed to sort out their heads. Harry tried to recall every moment of his life, trying to isolate instances that his behaviour had been questionable. Instances that could prove his mind was not all his own, that he was tainted by something evil. He could not recall any particular moments of wickedness, but that did not comfort him. Harry felt tainted and he had no idea how he would cleanse himself of the taint that he now knew existed in himself. Draco on the other hand watched the play of emotions on Potter's face, and stilled the hands that wanted to embrace the Gryffindor. He could have said that Potter was nothing like the dark lord, but he knew his opinion would not be appreciated so he kept it to himself. Potter would not be ready to listen to an opinion, until he formed one for himself. Draco decided he would wait for that day and did not question why he wanted to comfort Potter in the first place.

They stayed like that for a long time until a voice broke through their thoughts making them stand up in shock, wands raised, and eyes scanning the room furiously. Unknowingly, they had moved to stand back to back.

'Good reaction.' The voice said again and they turned at once to where the sculpture of Salazar Slytherin had previously been. In its place, was a life size portrait of the man. It must have been done in his early adulthood because the person in the image was in his early thirties, long black hair braided in a queue fell over his left shoulder and his piercing silver eyes made the two boys almost flinch under his stare. Although his features were classically handsome, Harry did not have a hard time imagining the man commanding a basilisk to attack muggleborns.

'Where did you come from?' Harry asked stupidly.

Salazar ignored him and turned to Malfoy. 'It has been many years since a member of my house came here.'

'I am honoured to be here.' Malfoy said and gave the man a small formal bow.

'I have been listening to you talk.' Harry tensed slightly. Salazar Slytherin was one of the four founders of Hogwarts and if Harry was not wrong, his loyalty was bound to the headmaster and Hogwarts in every era. 'Don't worry, my loyalty to Albus Dumbledore is secondary.' He spat the name as if even saying it, gave him a bad taste in his mouth. 'I will offer aid to any child of mine and since your destiny is intertwined, I will also extend aid to Gryffindor's child.' Slytherin said grudgingly, clearly hating that he also had to help his enemy's child, especially one who had killed his pet.

Harry stared in shock, but Malfoy masked his feelings well.

'I will gladly accept any help the founder has to offer.' Malfoy said and after a quick jab in the ribs, Harry also accepted although he was a bit worried about accepting help from the founder of a house that had produced more dark lords in history than all the other houses combined. For him to be a founder, Slytherin had to be insanely powerful even in death, and turning down such an ally would be foolhardy and Harry wasn't that foolish.

Slytherin nodded. 'First things first.' The painted arm pointed to somewhere behind them and they turned to see that a niche had opened on the pillar directly behind them. Harry and Draco both walked to it and found two neck chains which seemed to be woven from crystal. They each took one and for a moment stood there admiring the way light seemed to be absorbed into the crystal-like substance.

Harry was removed from his thoughts by Hermione who was urgently poking him in the ribs asking him to concentrate in class. He sighed in resignation and pretended to care about how the war of 1232 between vampires and werewolves had led to a great decline in both their numbers. Without thought, he fingered the crystal around his neck, now he could enter the chamber of secrets without having to go to Myrtle's bathroom and Slytherin had also said the necklace had other properties that they would discover in time.

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	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Author's note: I recently discovered a treasure box of yaoi anime, manga, games, light novels, dramas etc.-needless to say, I have been in BL heaven the entire week, even work took a back seat. PM me if you want a link to the site but don't get too caught up and neglect our Draco and Harry ;)

Thank you for all the favourites, follows and reviews. Special thanks to LandlessLord, Kamui5 and Love Faith Embers for taking the time to let me know what they think of the story so far. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and see you again for chapter six which I am sure you will love.

Chapter Five- Magic

Harry had been looking forward to going back to the chamber of secrets but escaping his friends and girlfriend was harder than he had expected. Hermione wanted to do homework, Ron wanted to play a game of exploding snap and by the looks Ginny was throwing at him, she wanted to spend time alone with him. Desperate to escape his girlfriend, he had opted to catch up on his classwork with Hermione but had had to put his foot down when she wanted to review material for next week's class.

Something had changed since he had regained his memories. He still remembered his time with Ginny over the last couple of months, but the desperate love he had felt for her had disappeared like so much smoke. His friendship with Hermione and Ron had become forced on his part, and he often felt an acute loss and anger at their betrayal, but he didn't feel broken over the loss of Ginny. He didn't understand how he could get over her that easily and no matter how much he tried, he could not remember exactly how they had gotten together. He would have liked to ask Hermione and Ron, but his bushy haired friend was not stupid and she would start to suspect something, so he held his tongue. He had his suspicions though, but it was too horrible a thought to contemplate so he let it go for the time being.

It was hours before Harry managed to escape the common room. With his cloak in the pocket, he spelled his curtains shut and removed the crystal from around his neck. He concentrated as Salazar had instructed them and pictured the chamber of secrets. He saw himself standing right in front of the founder's sculpture, and suddenly, he was there.

Malfoy was already waiting.

'What took you so long?' He asked peevishly.

'I couldn't escape.' Harry answered apologetically. 'Don't your friends wonder where you are going whenever you come here?'

'My friends are not busy bodies like the mudblood and weasel.' Harry wondered if Malfoy intentionally insulted his former friends to raise his ire but either way, he was not in the mood to get angry. He was peeved at Hermione and Ron, and truthfully, he didn't feel like defending them until he was completely sure of their part in the mess that had become his life.

'Where do we start?' Harry's wand was already out and he was itching for a good duelling session that would get rid of the uneasiness he was feeling.

'There is nothing to it really, we will just duel.' Malfoy said and he also pulled out his wand and got in the duelling stance that they had learnt in their second year. They had not even started before a loud snort of exasperation interrupted them.

'Put down your wands and grab a seat.' Salazar said muttering under his breath about the impatience of youth. 'It's not very effective to learn spells without learning the exact type of magic that suits you.'

With an intrigued face, Malfoy conjured a seat and a confused Harry followed suit. He had never heard of different types of magic except dark and light magic.

'Just so you know, I don't care to learn dark magic.' He said and Slytherin looked at him disdainfully before dismissing him like an unpleasant subject.

'Unlike the Gryffindor, I assume you are not ignorant about the distinction of magic?' Salazar directed his question at the member of his house and Malfoy nodded, seemingly amused.

'As I would expect.' The founder nodded in approval and Harry could not help but feel that he had somehow been rated inferior, at a level that was beyond just being a Gryffindor.

'Potter was your name?'

'Yes.'

'You mentioned horcruxes the other day, I take it you do not approve of that kind of magic?'

'It is the worst kind of dark magic that requires the sacrifice of people.' Harry said with conviction and a defiance that challenged anyone to say otherwise.

'What of the magic that your mother used to save you?' Salazar asked and Harry did not even bother to ask how the man knew about that. He must have another portrait somewhere or some other way that he got his information, he was after all one of the founders of Hogwarts.

'The headmaster said that my mother's love protected me from Voldemort.'

'…the headmaster is right about that, but love magic and the magic used to create horcruxes are the same kind of magic.' The founder said and Harry just stared at him in stupefaction. 'Both are soul magic that are invoked by the wizards desire.'

'What are you saying?' Harry asked.

'Centuries ago, before even our time, there was a great wizard who had an apprentice. One day his apprentice asked him whether evil people are born evil or if they become evil. What do you think his answer was?'

'I think evil people are born that way.' Harry said remembering the memories of Tom Riddle that Dumbledore had shown him. Even as a young child, Voldemort had been cruel and evil and even though Harry had grown up in the same situation, he liked to think that he had not become like Voldemort. Evil people had to be born evil.

Slytherin looked at Harry for a minute before he started speaking again. 'That great wizard told his apprentice that every human being is born with two dragons living within him. One dragon embodies the good in life, while the other embodies the bad in life. At the beginning of a human's life, each dragon is of equal strength but depending on which dragon is fed, one will ultimately overpower the other.' The founder explained. 'No one is born evil or good, it's the feelings you feed that make you evil or good.'

'Boy, magic has no will of its own. It is neither good nor evil, it is the wizard's will that makes it good or evil. Just like fire can be used to warm the cold, the same fire can be used to burn for destruction.' Harry was beginning to understand. 'The only distinction between light and dark magic is that one uses light, while the other uses darkness and shadows, and both are elements of nature.'

Harry frowned slightly, although he had been coming to terms with the explanation the founder had given, he was still reluctant to let go of his beliefs about light and dark magic.

Malfoy sighed, seeing the reluctance in the boy who lived. 'Potter, magic is basically divided into nature and soul magic. Nature magic involves manipulating the environment-like when you cast a lumos charm, and soul magic can only be used depending on one's will like your mother's protection, or the imperius among other spells. What they teach here at school is mainly nature magic.'

'How do you know about this Malfoy?'

'Unlike the school, my father made sure to give me a proper education.'

'I can only guess what 'proper' means in Lucius Malfoy's books.' Harry muttered in reflex and Malfoy drew his wand, in a minute he was pointing it at Harry. His face was a mask of fury and Harry was sure he would be hit with some sort of curse before Slytherin intervened again.

'Take your seat.' He ordered with a voice that brokered no arguments and grudgingly, Malfoy did as he was asked. Harry knew he was pushing it. It was a miracle that Malfoy had not already cursed him what with all the reflex comments he had made over the last few days about the Malfoy family.

'Soul magic requires a strong will and power. Right now, you both have a strong will and although your power is not bad, you could be more powerful than even Dumbledore can imagine. I want you to concentrate on nature magic and as your power grows, you will naturally gain the capability to use strong soul magic.' Both boys were alert now, eager to get started with their training. 'There are nine elements of nature: fire, earth, air, water, light, darkness, lightning, ice and energy.'

'Energy? What is that?' Harry asked. The other elements were pretty straight forward but he had no idea what energy was all about.

'Energy element is the most difficult to muster. Simply, energy is wandless magic. A wizard's wand is a conduit for magic-it helps focus nature's energy. Only a wizard who can feel nature's energy is able to direct it without the aid of a wand.' Harry had no idea that a wizard could do magic without a wand but now that he knew, he wanted to hurry and do it, and judging by the look on Malfoy's face, he did too.

It had been centuries since Salazar Slytherin had been a teacher, but now he remembered the joy of it. Even back then, he had not had students who had the potential to surpass the founders and he felt excitement every time he looked at the two in front of him. They were both incredibly strong and their potential was something that intrigued him. He saw more about them than they could see themselves, but there was still something hidden from him and he could not wait to find out what it was. He wanted to see what they would achieve, if they would be able to rise above the tide that was trying to crush them down.

'As Mr Malfoy mentioned, nature magic is what you are taught at Hogwarts, but even that barely covers the basics. Most of the knowledge has been lost with time, but I still retain the ancient teachings. There is a potion that can show you which elements you are most compatible with but the ingredients will likely be hard to find.'

'What are they?' Malfoy asked. As much or more than Potter loved defence against the dark arts, Potions was his speciality and he enjoyed experimenting with difficult potions and this one sounded difficult. He had heard of potions that measured your power levels but never had he heard of one that showed you the type of magic you are good at, after all, Hogwarts only concentrated on what was considered 'light' magic nowadays.

Salazar smiled, _it is good to mould young minds,_ he thought. It was the first time in years that he had no malicious intent in doing something. 'You will need to collect nine items that represent the nine elements, and nine items that represent the ancient gods associated with those elements. I will give you further instructions when you have collected them. The chamber will be inaccessible until you both return with the ingredients.'

Before the boys could protest, the portrait of the founder was gone and in its place stood the usual statue of Slytherin. The crystals around their necks glowed and a minute later, they found themselves in their beds. Although both boys had a lot on their minds before they fell asleep that night, they both had a sense of purpose that had been absent a few hours ago. It was a new challenge and they were all in for the ride.

Deep in the bowels of Hogwarts, Salazar Slytherin watched his students fall asleep with a smile on their faces and he wondered how long it would take before those smiles turned into frustrated frowns.

To be continued…

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